§ 64 and 66. Captain DIXONasked the Postmaster-General (1) why 86 supervising officers in the Belfast Post Office were not granted metropolitan status when the Government of Northern Ireland was established in Belfast, and thus given the same status as that granted to other Post Office servants in Belfast as well as that given by the Government of Northern Ireland to their own officials in that city?
(2) if he is aware that a large number of the 86 supervising officers in Belfast are performing duties superior to that of similar supervising officers in London and Edinburgh, and carry out work formerly performed by higher executive officers in the accountant's office, Dublin, and the secretary's office, London; and what saving has been effected by the transfer of this work to Belfast?
§ Sir W. MITCHELL-THOMSONThe grading of post offices for purposes of the pay of the staff must be governed by Post Office standards and the classification of the Belfast post office is the same as that of post offices in Great Britain where the volume of work is similar. There are no adequate grounds for granting a higher classification to the supervising staff in Belfast. I am aware that certain work formerly performed elsewhere is now undertaken by the staff in Belfast, but there has been no improvement in the general level of the duties of the supervising officers such as would warrant upgrading of the office. I am unable to state the financial effect of the changes.